Hawaii Travel.which island should we choose?
I know Hawaii is compromised of several islands. I want to know the best island to go to for my demographic.
Demographics:
I’m 27
Senior Systems Engineer (working as a Technology Solutions Mgr).
I don’t mind spending money when I’m out enjoying myself.
I’m African-American
My Fiance
Industrial Engineer
25
African-American
We’re not nerds by any means we love to have a good time.
We definetly DON’T want to go to the big Island.
We prefer to not really walk the beaten path. But we also don’t want to be bored out of our minds.
Activities, and boating are important. I need to be able to rent a boat and get out on the water.
It will also be our honeymoon vacation this year. We have a timeshare with Wyndham so we travel every year. This year it’s Hawaii and we have no clue!!
Help us out, you have our demographics
comprised that is. Not compromised. Sorry for the typos.
April 2nd, 2009 at 1:31 am
Sounds like you want Oahu. Waikiki Beach is a lot of fun. Lots of shops, restaurants, and bars. Stay there. Get a package that includes a rental car so you can see the rest of the island. Have fun.
April 3rd, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Where are you coming from?
I’ll describe the main ones…
I live on Maui… it is very nice… has the box stores and some night life (some is the operative word here), activities abound…
Lots to do and it is mostly pretty.
Oahu is the city… if you want more action and energy… plus the beauty, I’d go here… In fact I’m going tomorrow to see a concert and spend a 3-day weekend.
Kauai is smaller, less to do, very pretty and ‘natural’… yet ‘less to do’. It is romantic, but not much action happening.
Molokai… too small… Nothing to do but swim, surf, drive around… meet the same 100 people over and over again. I love it… it is ‘old Hawaii’… but I think you’d be over it within 3 days.
You are more than welcome to contact me about Hawaii.
April 5th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
I am a little concerned that when you refer to the “big island” you really are thinking of the “main” island; Oahu. Are you not wanting the Island of Hawaii (Kona, Hilo, Volcano etc) or are you not wanting Oahu (Honolulu, Waikiki, Pearl Harbor etc)?
Based on what you wrote I would suggest Maui first, then Kauai. Oahu / Big Island of Hawaii would be my third suggestion.
Check out the guidebooks published by Wizard Publications on the link below.
April 8th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Maui. And take a day and drive to Hana. Hike the 3 1/2 miles up the mountain to the falls (the one you see the helo landing in front of in Jurassic Park). Drive the extra mile or 2 past the Falls Park and visit the small church & graveyard where Charles Lindbergh is buried. Also, go to the top of the volcano, go on a whale watching boat. Go to Lahaina Town. Go snorkeling! Many dive shops rent fins, mask and snorkel for a week for anywhere from $7-$15. What ever you see, there will be plenty left for the next time.
April 10th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
As far as ethnicities go, African-Americans are very rare to see no matter what island you go, especially one’s outside Oahu, but there is no stigma or anything like that.
I’ve been to Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii, but that’s crossed out apparently for you so to me the decision is between Maui And Oahu.
It really depends on how long you are staying in the islands. After 3-4 days, Maui can seem VERY boring. There’s the Lahaina district where whaling once was very popular and is a tourist attraction, the Oceanarium which is good for a couple hours tops, the road to Hana which you may or may not want to do since it will take up your day, and Haleakala volcano/mountain. I really liked driving up to Haleakala. Even if you go in the very hot summer, it’s so cool and beautiful up there. It’s so far from the city and the views are breathtaking. Definitely an awesome experience.
But like I said, Maui is more for shorter trips and besides the things I listed there really isn’t much to do so keep that in mind.
I’m sure you already know a lot about Oahu. You could spend a couple days in Waikiki itself because there are so many shops and places to eat and you can go to the zoo, the aquarium, relax on the beach, take a walk through the park…Definitely taking up a few days. There’s also Oahu’s huge shopping mall, Ala Moana Center, that you could probably spend a good chunk of a day at. If you rent a car or don’t mind spending over an hour on the bus, I’d definitely recommend stopping by the North Shore for it’s not as crowded as Waikiki and is a little more intimate. There’s also quite a few shops over there as well. There’s also the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor that you could check out.
Basically, for a longer stay I would suggest Oahu. Oahu is way more populated and busier than Maui, but there are also more things to do. The best thing Maui has to offer in my opinion is Haleakala, other than that it can get a little boring after a while.
April 12th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
I am 23 and I went a few years ago (before I could drink, sadly). If I could plan the perfect trip back, I would hit up the Oahu first. See Waikiki. Go on a Circle the Island tour to see some really cool stuff. Party a bit. Go to a Luau. Play in the waves in some ocean kayaks.
Then I would fly over to Maui and relax on some of the beaches there. Check out the windsurfers on the north side of the island. Ride down Haleakala at sunrise. Take the road to Hana and take the un-beaten path on the rest of the way around (you’ll see what I mean). And don’t miss the day of snorkelling with the Turtles and then out to the crater to see the fish. It was such an amazing place. We spent two and a half weeks and a month wouldn’t have been long enough to explore!! Have fun! =)